


Dinner and Flowers

by BrieCheddar



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Future Fic, Headcanon where Ayumu owns a flower shop, Language of Flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28726137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrieCheddar/pseuds/BrieCheddar
Summary: Setsuna is leaving for America in one day to start her tour, so she's going to miss her and Ayumu's anniversary. To celebrate early and to prove that things won't change between them even though they're far apart, Setsuna decides she wants to cook for Ayumu. What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Asaka Karin/Nakasu Kasumi, Uehara Ayumu/Yuuki Setsuna
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	Dinner and Flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheRev28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRev28/gifts).



Setsuna was terrible at cooking. Not to the point where she didn’t know how to boil water or mixed up salt with sugar. Those were different types of incompetencies.

The problem Setsuna had is that she’d randomly throw a bunch of ingredients she _thought_ would go well together into the same pot and cooked them for an indefinite amount of time.

In short, she didn’t know any recipes.

So, a few weeks ago, she decided she would learn how to cook something simple for her and Ayumu’s first anniversary. Ayumu had her cooking before and called it “interesting” before scarfing it down to make Setsuna happy. Of course, when Setsuna took her first bite, she knew it was awful.

How could it be this bad, Setsuna wondered. She put all the things she loved from her parents’ stew and cooked it, so it should be the same, right? She didn’t know that recipes were carefully crafted to create a delicate balance of flavor in a dish.

So, after asking around, Kanata gave her the idea of learning a recipe. She pointed out some simple dishes, and Setsuna chose spaghetti and meatballs.

However, it didn’t help that Setsuna had to put it all off until the last day due to her work. Her schedule was packed due to her recent album release and tour announcement. She had barely any time to spend with Ayumu, let alone learning how to cook for her.

Setsuna needed to do this, though. It was the first time since they’d started dating when they’d be so far apart for so long. Setsuna was worried. What if they drifted apart during the three-week-long tour? Improving her cooking skills just for Ayumu would show how much she cared for her, surely.

Now, on the last day before she left for her tour, a week before their anniversary, Setsuna needed to learn how to cook. Ayumu would be home around dinner time, so she had a few hours to learn a single recipe.

What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

In the meantime, Ayumu was working at her flower boutique, dealing with customers as they trickled in and asked for recommendations.

She decided during college that she wanted to become a florist, partially inspired by the flower that Yuu gave her before the School Idol Festival. She wanted to help others express their feelings to others, so she learned a lot about the language of flowers and how to grow them. She studied under some other florists in their shops, then started saving up money to start her own business.

It took awhile for her to gain enough experience dealing with customers and learning about flowers to open her own shop. Almost as long as it had taken for her and Setsuna to confess the feelings that had lingered between them since high school.

Why was Ayumu thinking of that? Probably because they started spending less time together after Ayumu opened her shop a few months ago.

Sure, it had been great working on her own dreams instead of just watching Setsuna succeed from the sidelines. Ayumu had discovered something she loved and achieved something on her own. She was happy. They were happy.

But… it was almost as if they couldn’t share their happiness together sometimes.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the bell that rang every time the front door opened. She stepped away from the flowers she was tending to.

“Oh, Kasumi-chan!”

“Hey, Ayumu-chan,” Kasumi said, wearing sunglasses and a face mask. Even if she wasn’t as popular as Setsuna, Kasumi still needed a disguise when she went out.

“You want the usual? I made some blue roses in case you stopped by.”

“Hmm… I want to add something special today.” Kasumi leaned in and whispered. “Do you have anything that means…”

Kasumi proceeded to say things that were unbefitting of an idol. Things that shouldn’t be said anywhere except a bedroom. After hearing a single sentence, Ayumu backed off with a blush that seemed to cover her entire face.

“K-Kasumi-chan!” After composing herself, Ayumu thought about how to answer her. “M-Maybe we could go with p-passion or desire, instead?”

“That’d be perfect. Oh, can you also add something cute and yellow,” Kasumi said with a wink.

“Other than the chrysanthemums? Yellow irises symbolize passion. Or we could go with yellow zinnias. Those mean something along the lines of ‘thinking of you everyday.’” After being shown the flowers, Kasumi chose the irises. Ayumu started to walk around the boutique and pick out the flowers.

Kasumi’s usual order was a bit strange when it came to the emotions she wanted to express, but Ayumu could always arrange her colorful choices into a beautiful bouquet. Ayumu laid the flowers down next to the cash register and started to put the bouquet together in front of Kasumi.

“So, I heard Setsuna-senpai’s tour starts in a couple of days,” Kasumi said to break the silence. Ayumu paused for a split second then answered.

“Yeah, she’s flying to America tomorrow.”

“I swear I’ll catch up to her someday,” Kasumi muttered to the side. After seeing Ayumu’s grin, Kasumi cleared her throat. “A-Anyway, are you going with her?”

“Nope.” Kasumi saw Ayumu’s expression go blank.

“Hmm, I thought you would since you two are…” Kasumi trailed off before looking around to see if anyone was listening. “Well, you know.”

“The shop isn’t going to run itself.” Ayumu forced herself to smile. “I mean, who’s going to make your bouquets for Karin-chan if I’m gone?”

“You should hire some help.” Kasumi watched as Ayumu shook her head and sighed.

“I don’t think I can afford it. The shop is just getting started, too. I want to see this through.” Kasumi hummed as Ayumu moved the flowers around. “Hey… how do you two handle not seeing each other that often?”

“What do you mean?” Kasumi asked, surprised at the question.

“Well, you’re busy being an idol, and she’s busy being a model, so I figured you guys didn’t spend that much time together.” Kasumi thought for a while.

“Well, we just make time. Like at lunch or after work. I mean it’s not like we _have_ to spend _every_ minute together. It’s nice when we can go on dates, but it’s not like things change when we’re busy for the whole day.” Ayumu listened, taking mental notes and trying to apply those words to her own relationship. 

“Also, Karin is a _sucker_ for gifts, so these,” Kasumi said as she pointed at the flowers, “really help.”

“I don’t think she’d like the flowers if she knew what _all_ of them mean,” Ayumu said before letting out a small chuckle.

“Oh, I’ve told her. Seeing Karin go from embarrassed to angry to being _so_ in love with me was honestly the best part about explaining.” Kasumi put on a devious smirk as she recalled Karin’s reactions.

Cattleya represented mature charms, agapanthus symbolized a secret love, and red tulips declared that love to the recipient of the bouquet. Then Kasumi asked for a single blue rose in the center, which she said represented Karin. Those all made sense to Ayumu. 

The rest of the flowers were confusing. Rhododendrons symbolized danger, and yellow chrysanthemums symbolized neglected love. Ayumu asked if their relationship was doing alright the first time she arranged this bouquet. Kasumi told her not to worry and called it an inside joke, then continued to order the same set of flowers ever since. Ayumu decided not to question it again after the first time.

Ayumu finished arranging the flowers then wrapped them in clear plastic and handed them to Kasumi. 

“You want a note?” Ayumu asked.

“No, she’ll know they’re from me. Thanks as always, Ayumu-senpai.” Kasumi started to walk towards the door, then looked back at Ayumu. “Oh, good luck with Setsuna-senpai.”

Ayumu thanked her and watched as she left the boutique.

Kasumi’s talk with Ayumu had relieved some of her worries. Maybe things wouldn’t change between them even though they’re apart. Ayumu knew that she and Setsuna had been through a lot together, so these next few weeks away from each other wouldn’t change a thing. She would wait for Setsuna, no matter how long it took.

Thinking of that, Ayumu looked around her shop.

_Maybe I can tell her that through flowers._

She smiled at that thought, then started brainstorming ideas for a bouquet to give to Setsuna.

* * *

Back at Ayumu’s apartment, Setsuna was having issues. A _lot_ of issues.

She had just started boiling noodles after buying all the ingredients at the grocery store. On her first attempt, she threw the spaghetti into a pot that was _way_ too small for the amount of noodles. The water hadn’t even reached a boil, but Setsuna knew it eventually would, so she just left it there and waited until it did start boiling to start a timer. She didn’t season the water with salt or stir the pasta.

She ended up with a clumpy, slimy, flavorless, unevenly cooked mess of noodles. She took a few bites and compared it to some spaghetti that she had ordered from a restaurant. The difference was astronomical.

She tried again, but the noodles were still mushy in some places and hard in others and bland, even after adding a little marinara. She did everything that was said on the package, so what was the problem?

It was a good thing she bought extra packages in case she messed up.

She looked up how to boil noodles properly. There were a few tips to follow, but Setsuna wasn’t feeling confident. She started calling friends who she knew could cook to see if anyone could supervise her.

Kasumi was busy with rehearsal. Emma was busy with her family. Kanata was busy with sleeping, according to Haruka.

Karin was the one who picked up. After they exchanged greetings, Karin got straight to the point.

“So, what did you call me for?” Karin asked.

“Can you teach me how to cook pasta?”

“Yeah, I have some time before my next shoot. Pasta is pretty easy.” Setsuna recalled that cooking class was one of Karin’s favorite classes back in high school. Then she remembered that it had to do with how cute the aprons looked on her. 

Well, she must have learned something from that class, right?

“Put me on video so I can watch you,” Karin said, interrupting Setsuna’s thoughts.

Karin’s instructions were precise. She asked how much pasta Setsuna was going to make, then told her exactly how much water and salt to put in a large pot. She told Setsuna to wait until the water started to boil and to stir the pasta on occasion.

“You can also feel how cooked the pasta is by lifting it out of the water and touching it. I don’t know how Ayumu-chan likes her noodles, but Kasumi-chan and I prefer it with some bite to it.”

“I have no clue,” Setsuna said. “I read something about ‘al dente’ so maybe like that?”

“That’s what I’m talking about. Cook it until it’s not hard, but still firm. Does that make sense?”

“U-Uh… I’ll try my best!” In the end, Setsuna overcooked the noodles a little, but it was still much better than her first attempt. After she added some marinara, it tasted pretty good.

Before they could move onto making the meatballs, someone called Karin’s name.

“You have a delivery. Some flowers,” someone said offscreen. Setsuna watched as Karin’s eyes lit up. “Should I bring them to the agency, or-”

“I’ll take them.” Karin stood up from her seat and walked offscreen before coming back with a large, colorful bouquet. 

“Ooh, those are pretty,” Setsuna said after eyeing the flowers.

“Yeah. Ugh, Kasumi-chan is so silly,” Karin said while smiling at the flowers. “I wonder where she got them from,” she said in a sing-song voice while winking at Setsuna.

Thinking of Ayumu brought Setsuna’s worries back to her mind. She froze for a long enough time that Karin needed to bring her back to reality.

“Oh, did we disconnect?”

“A-Ah, no I was just thinking,” Setsuna responded. After pondering for a bit longer, she decided to ask, “How are you and Kasumi-san doing?”

“Hmm? We’re good… as far as I know. Though she’s never sent me these flowers,” Karin said as she pointed to the irises.

“You guys don’t feel like you’re growing apart because you’re so busy?” Karin thought about that for a bit.

“I’ve never really felt that. We don’t spend whole days together as often, that is true. But we do little things for each other. Like getting these stupid flowers.” Karin smiled again as she remembered all of the flowers’ meanings. “That’s why I think what you’re doing will make Ayumu-chan really happy.”

“E-Eh? When did I mention _her_?!” Karin brought her hand to her mouth to cover up her chuckle.

“You’re so obvious, Setsuna-chan.” As Setsuna spat out an incomprehensible mess of flustered and confused noises, Karin continued to laugh. “C’mon, let’s start the meatballs.”

Again, Karin’s directions were much clearer to Setsuna than the recipe’s. After mixing everything together, she formed the meat with her hands, and Karin laughed when she finished.

“Setsuna-chan, do you know why they’re called meatballs?”

“B-Because they’re balls of meat?”

“Yes, so why do yours look… well… pointy?” Setsuna expected her handiwork and noticed they were uneven. She rolled each of them in her hands until they were smoother. “Perfect,” Karin said after she finished.

After telling Setsuna how long to cook them for, Karin said she had to go.

“Oh, good luck on your tour,” Karin said.

“Thank you.”

“And have fun tonight,” Karin said with a wink before hanging up. Setsuna couldn’t even embarrassedly respond in time.

She put the meatballs in the oven and set a timer. They would finish right before Ayumu got off work. She watched the oven so long that the meatballs started to brown. She hardly noticed, as she was absorbed in thought.

Karin’s words about Ayumu came back to her thoughts, and Setsuna really hoped that Karin was right.

* * *

After Ayumu closed up shop, she received a call from Setsuna.

“Pomu, are you off now?”

“I’m heading home. What’s up, Setsu?” 

“Let me know when you’re getting close and I’ll c-come over.” Ayumu detected that familiar nervousness in Setsuna’s voice. It meant she was hiding something.

“I’ll be there in fifteen if you want to wait for me there,” Ayumu said, probing for more information. “You still have the key, right?”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll go now. See you soon.” Setsuna hung up, leaving Ayumu in thought.

Setsuna was probably waiting for her at her apartment, Ayumu figured. She wondered what was in store for her as she clutched the bouquet she was holding even harder.

“I hope she likes the surprise,” they both thought at the same time.

After a short train ride and an even shorter walk, Ayumu landed on her doorstep. She didn’t enter immediately, basking in feelings of anticipation and nervousness. She took a breath then opened her door.

“I’m home, Setsu.”

“Welcome home, Pomu.”

Ayumu walked into the entrance hall and smelled food. Maybe Setsuna had ordered some dinner for the both of them. How sweet, she thought.

Then, she walked into the living room and looked over at the kitchen. Setsuna stood there, grinning while wearing a white apron that was splotched with red in a few places. She looked at the drying rack and saw that Setsuna had used a bunch of cookware.

Half of Ayumu’s head went, “Oh, no.” The other half realized that whatever Setsuna cooked smelled good.

She looked over at the dining table. There were two plates filled with pasta that looked so appetizing after a long day of work.

“Setsu, you really cooked?” Ayumu stared as Setsuna vigorously nodded.

“It’s not the best spaghetti ever, but I hope you like it.” Setsuna walked over to Ayumu and noticed she was holding something behind her back. She caught a glimpse of red flowers and smiled. “What are those?”

“I’ll get a vase for them. Go ahead and sit down.” As Ayumu went through her cabinets to find the perfect vase for the flowers she brought, Setsuna sat down at the table and waited. 

Setsuna wondered if the food would get cold right before Ayumu arrived with a beautiful bouquet in a clear vase. She placed it between them, but on the side, so they could look at each other while they ate. 

“Wow it’s very… red,” Setsuna said. 

“I know you love red.”

“That’s true.”

“It doesn’t help that everything I want to say comes with red flowers.” Setsuna knew nothing about flowers so she was unable to understand everything from the bouquet. 

“What do they mean?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Ayumu said with a wink. “Let’s eat first.”

Setsuna gulped down her nervousness and nodded. She watched as Ayumu twirled a fork through the noodles and brought it to her mouth. 

Ayumu put the food into her mouth, expecting the worst. It tasted like decent spaghetti. Her eyes widened then shut tight as she delighted in chewing the noodles. Then she tried a meatball, which was succulent and delicious and actually tasted like a meatball. It was incredible compared to Setsuna’s other attempts at cooking.

“It’s amazing,” Ayumu said after she swallowed.

“Really? Not too soft or bland or anything?” Ayumu shook her head at the question. “Thank goodness.”

“But why’d you want to cook?” Ayumu asked in between bites.

“Because our anniversary is during the tour. I just… wanted to prove that even though I’ll be gone, things won’t change. So I learned to cook… f-for you.” As Setsuna stared at the food she cooked, Ayumu got out of her chair. “I don’t know if that makes sense but-”

“I love you, Setsu,” Ayumu said. Setsuna followed the sound of her voice and turned to see her standing next to her. Ayumu leaned over and wrapped her arms around Setsuna and kissed her. 

“I love you too, Pomu.”

“Our anniversary is also why I brought you these.”

Ayumu walked around the table then pointed out all of the flowers to Setsuna. Red roses represented love. The light red carnations symbolized admiration. Red camellias said, “You’re a flame in my heart.” Setsuna’s blush grew especially large when she heard that explanation.

“Then there’s this one.” Ayumu grabbed the stem of one of the flowers. It had petals that were more pink than red and had a yellow center. She twirled it around and smiled as she remembered when she first received this flower. The circumstances and feelings might have been different from back then, but this flower could still be added to a bouquet to fully express what she wanted to say.

That’s why flowers were so beautiful to Ayumu.

“What does that one mean?” Setsuna asked as she watched Ayumu fiddle with it some more.

“Unchanging feelings.” Ayumu’s words and smile sent warmth through Setsuna’s body. “Bouquets are supposed to speak for themselves, but I want to tell you anyway.”

Setsuna stared at her, enveloped in anticipation. But, even though she knew all the meanings of the flowers now, Ayumu’s words would still shatter all her expectations in the best way.

“I love you. I admire you so much for everything that you do. You burn as brightly in my heart as you do on stage. And those feelings will never change. I’ll wait for you forever if I have to. So do your best on your tour without anything holding you back.”

Setsuna started tearing up after hearing those words. All her worries and doubts and fears were washed away by the happiness flowing through her. 

She stood up and ran over to Ayumu, and Ayumu met her halfway. They embraced each other, with Setsuna sobbing into Ayumu’s shoulder. Ayumu softly ran a hand through Setsuna’s hair as she comforted her. They separated just enough to look each other in the eyes and kissed each other like they were the only two people in the world.

“Pomu, I… I don’t know how I can repay you,” Setsuna said after they separated, in between sobs. “Your gift was just so much better than mine… I-”

Ayumu kissed Setsuna to interrupt her. After they separated again, they stared at each other without saying any words. Then Ayumu broke the silence.

“I know how you can repay me.”

“How?”

“First, sing your heart out on your tour. Second, call me sometimes while you’re away.” Setsuna nodded to those requests, as she was planning on doing those anyway.

“And?” Setsuna asked, wondering how anything else could possibly match Ayumu’s gift.

“Lastly,” Ayumu said before pausing and hugging Setsuna more tightly. Setsuna waited for the words to come then kissed Ayumu again after she heard them.

“Cook for me again when you get back.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Mr. Rev~
> 
> I wrote some already-in-a-relationship SetsuAyu for ya. The Setsu and Pomu nicknames from your fics are really cute so I decided to use them here as well.
> 
> Also... I might have inserted KasuKari because my brain runs on KasuKari. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed (:


End file.
